The subject matter herein relates generally to cabling, and more particularly, to shielding separators for cabling.
Communication cables typically include a number of insulated wires therein. In order to minimize the problem of interference and random noise between the wires, the wires in the cable are generally twisted in pairs. At least one type of high-speed data communications cable includes a core having a number of twisted wire pairs therein, and an insulative jacket surrounding the core. The wire pairs are arranged in a manner to optimize performance in terms of impedance, attenuation, skew, and cross talk, among other things, for high-speed data and communication networks.
Some twisted pair cables are known to include separate compartments for each twisted pair in the cable. The compartments are formed through either the configuration of the jacket or with a separator structure encased by the jacket to prevent movement of the twisted pairs and to reduce crosstalk between the twisted pairs. Typically, the separator structure is manufactured from a dielectric material and has a thickness selected to maintain separation of the wire pairs from one another. By providing thicker separator strictures, more separation is provided between the wire pairs, thus reducing the crosstalk. However, the thicker separator structures increase the overall diameter of the cable, which may increase the cost and complexity of the cable and can reduce the flexibility of the cable making it more difficult to install.
As communication cables are designed to transmit at higher speeds and frequencies, the dielectric separator structures have proven unsuccessful at reducing crosstalk to allowable levels. At least some known twisted pair cables include separators that operate as shielding members. These separators typically include metal inserts that are encased in, or otherwise inserted into, the dielectric separator structure. These conventional shielding separators are expensive to manufacture and assemble. Additionally, these conventional shielding separators remain relatively thick, thus increasing the bulk of the cable.